Climate Change You Can Believe In

Exactly how large a majority is required for Congressional Democrats to take a stand on an important issue without fear of what the Republicans might (shudder) do to them?  It’s not enough they control the White House and both Houses of Congress (for now, anyway); now they need a super-majority to bring legislation to a vote?   Our current crop of pink tutu Dems (h/t BartCop) now tosses in the towel without raising as much as a carefully manicured pinkie if there’s the merest whiff of a hint that they might not have a 60-vote majority.  Put up a fight?  Why bother?  Besides, it might cost us votes in November if we act too forcefully . . . .

Mostly beige, bland, and spineless, our current “Representatives”  forfeit election recounts, single-payer health plans, minimum wage, aid to struggling businesses, improved educational standards, gun control regulations, equal rights, same-sex marriage, veteran’s benefits, troop withdrawal, tax reform, and any control over two costly, bloody foreign wars because . . . . they don’t want to argue with Republicans? Makes you wonder why they chose careers in politics instead of, say, pottery.  Or kitten grooming.

The latest legislative victim of their criminal cowardice is the climate change bill.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid caved on Thursday and said the Senate would not take up the legislation that would reduce the carbon emissions responsible for climate change. The New York Times quotes Reid as he explained his gutless decision to reporters:  “We know where we are, we know that we don’t have the votes.”

Well . . . that’s that, then.  Screw the conservationist and Green groups and organizations that devoted months, or years, to the research and negotiations that lead to this incredibly important legislation.  Forget the impact on the planet, our dependence on foreign oil, our children’s future, sustainable farmland, and regulation of the out-of-control oil industry that threatens every ecosystem on the planet. No we can’t worry about all  that.

To fight for those things ideas and outcomes we might have to raise our voices and get loud and shouty, or stand up really tall on our tippy-toes and point our fingers in the air, or hurt our hands by hitting the podium, or talk to those really scary Republicans . . . . better we just drop it and slink back into our comfy chambers.  Have a mug of warm milk and some Lorna Doones, check with our aides about our poll numbers back home, wait for the next crop to do the hard stuff.

Problem is, the Democrats have borrowed one too many pages from the Bush Crime Family’s playbook and now totally “misunderestimate” their constituents.  The folks back home won’t vote for them, probably won’t vote at all, just because they have a “D” after their names.  They’ll stay home, or vote for whatever “Green” candidate appears on the ballot.  This is why some key Democrats are fighting challengers from their own party – because of gross inactions like this one, and all the other lost opportunities to bring about true progressive reforms through essential legislation. 

The New York Times article continues with this irony: “Separately on Thursday night the Senate rejected a House version of an emergency spending bill that also contained billions of dollars for domestic programs, including $10 billion to help states and local school districts avert teacher layoffs. Instead the Senate sent the House a version focused mainly on financing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

But of course.  Always money for death and destruction, nary a dime for education or other social programs that would improve lives here.  The GOP (and increasingly, all entities in government) are  much more efficient at making people dead than keeping them healthy and alive.  Dead people cost less.  Dead environments do, too.  Where’s the profit in biomass energy?  Or hydrogen?

Priorities, people . . . . please.

So again, what kind of majority does it take to stand up to the bullies and take decisive action for the American People? How long do the Democrats expect us to support them if they refuse to fight for us? We can only take so many wasted, watered-down bills before we give up on these weaklings.  If the Democrats lose control in Congress this November, what will we have lost??